Adjustable paper stop for business machines



July 6, 1948. A.".:. FETTIG ADJUSTABLE PAPER STOP FOR- BUSINESS MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 27, 1942 INVENTOR.

WW ,f w M H TTOEIYEYS I July 6 1948.

ADJUSTABLE Filed Nov. 27, 1942 A; J. FETTIG 2,444,641

PAPER STOP FOR BUSINESS MACHINES (INVENTOR.

BY flN/wr J. 9 81.729 .2? m

HTTOR/YEYS Patented July 6, 1948 ADJUSTABLE PAPER STOP FOR BUSINESS MACHINES Arthur J. Fettig, Detroit, Mich, assignor to Burr.

roughs Adding Mach inc. Company, Detroit,

Mich., a corporation of Michigan 7 Application November 27, 1942, Serial No. 467,085

4 Claims (01. 197-140) This invention relates to adjustable paper stops for business machines, more particularly business machines with front-feed paper carriages. Such machines are frequently used in work requiring that entries having given dates .be printed on particular lines allotted to such dates on the record or work form. For instance, calculating and accounting machines are frequently used in posting entries on ledger sheets of accounts involving periodic debits or credits, the ledger sheets having date lines for the periodic entries so that all entries to be posted on a given date by the machine being used will be recorded on the same line of the ledger sheets for all of the accounts involved. Instead of requiring the operator, when inserting successive ledger sheets into the paper carriage of the machine, to adjust each ledger sheet individually and carefully to the proper line position, it is convenient to provide the paper carriage of such machine with paper stops which can be adjusted to difierent positions corresponding to .the different entry lines of ledger sheets ,or forms so that, after adjusting such paper stops to the proper position, the operator can thereafter push or drop the ledger sheets or forms successively into the paper carriage and depend upon the paper stops to properly position each ledger sheet or formby engagement with the end thereof to limit the extent of insertion of the sheet into the carriage. Adjustable paper stops of various constructional forms and arrangements have been provided for this purpose, some not providing sufiicient accuracy and/or flexibility and/or ease of adjustment, and some being too expensive and/or complicated of construction and/or having various other disadvantages.

An object of the present invention is to provide improved adjustable paper stop means for business machines.

A further object of the invention is to provide paper stop means which are very easily and readily adjustable to the exact positions required.

A further object of-the invention is to provide adjustable paper stop means of simple and inexpensive construction.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective View of a front-feed paper carriage of a Burroughs .high keyboard calculating or accounting machine having the invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a cross section of the carriage; and

Fig. 3 is a plan view of one of the adjustable stops and of the spring tape by which. it. is oaize fled.

The illustrated paper. carriage. is a front-feed carriage of a construction extensively employed on Burroughs high keyboard machines, being laterally movably supported at the back ofthe machine on a raceway ID; :The carriagezcom prises a pair of side .framev members l 2 heldyin suitable laterally spaced directions, by suitable cross members such as 13 (Fig. 2) and rockably supporting a shaft I4, to which aresecured; the end' plates i5 of a rockable. platen frame. The platen I6 is carried. by a shaft l'lrotata y mounted in the plates 1.5,comprising also-cross .members It. The means. for rocking, the platenframe to carry the platen from its printing position. to its front-feed position, as well as other details of construction and operation of the carriage.

generally are described. and illustratedv in Muller;

Patents, Nos; 2,202,595, 2,192,324, and 2,147,051, as well as in other issuedpatents.

In the drawings, the platen I5. is, shown in its out-of-printing or fronteieed position, thepl'int: ing position of the platen beingindicated indetdash lines in Fig. 3. A shaft 20 J'ournaled; in the end plates I5 of .therockable platen frame; sup; ports a plurality of yokemembers 21 carrying rotatable. paper feed or pressure rolls 2?. @The feed or pressure rolls 22 are yieldingly urged toe ward the platen 1G by a spring 23 connected at one. end to a. stud 24 carried by an arm 2,5; 5e: cured to the shaft 20, The stud 2,4 passesthrough a slot 2a in a link 27 pivoted'ona stud 28 secured in an end plate i2-of the paper carriage, the slot; being so proportioned that the feed or pressure rolls 22- arepermittedwto remain in contact with the platen liwhile'the platenis-in printinglpo: sition and during the major portion of the move: ment of. the platen from its. printing positionto its out-ofeprinting or front-feed position. -Near the end of the rocking of the platen frame away from printing position, the. stud 24,, reaches: the end of the slot 26 whereby the feed rolls;22-a1:e

arrested and, asthe platen l-ficompletes-its movee" ment from its printing position; a front-feed; throat is opened between the platen and feed-rolls to permit removal of; a work sheetW and the in-1 sertion of another. As the platen is returned from its, oute-of-printing positionto its printing position, the feed rolls remainstationary d ing the initial movement of the platentowardprinting position, wherebythe front-feed throatis closed. and the newly in erted Work sheet Wis ipped e we n, th l n the eed, 11

position of Fig. 2 as the platen is returnedto printing position and said chute returns to the position of Fig. 2 as theplaten frame is again rocked out of printing position. Somewhat before the movement of the platen frame out of printing position is completed, a stud 40 in the right-hand side member of the paper chute 35 engages a stop member 4| which has an elongated slot through which passes a screw 42 threaded into the right side plate 12 of the carriage whereby the stop member is secured to the plate l2 adjustably to permit the paper chute to be held in the desired position when the platen is in its out-of-printing position.

The front-feed paper chute 35 also supports a line finder 43 which may be generally like that illustrated in Muller Patent No. ,147,051 or No. 2,192,324. The line finder comprises a blade 44 whim-1n its normal position, lies in the plane of-the front plate 36 of the paper chute and acts as aportion of the paper chute in guiding front-fed papers W into the throat between the feed rolls 22 and platen 16. From this normal position the line finder 43, 44, which is pivoted at to the end plates of the paper chute 35, is movable to a linefinding position as illustrated in Fig. '2 where it may be releasably held by a latch member 46 having a generally L-shaped slot receiving a stud 41 on the right side member of the paperchute', said latch member being supported on abell crank lever 48 pivoted on the right-hand stud 31 on which the paper chute is pivoted. When the platen frame is rocked to printing position; a stud 49 in the right side plate l of the platen frame engages the lower arm of the bell crank 48 and rocks the latter to release the line finder for return of the latter to normal position by a spring 50.

- The papers W front-fed over the paper chute 35, 36,- after passing into the throat between the feed-rolls '22 and platen 16, are guided .around under the 'platen'by means of a guide plate 5! carried -'on'the shaft M of the rockable platen frame. As the lower edges of the front-fed papers leave the plate 5| theyvare further guided byrear guide plates or chutes 52 which are laterally: adjustably mounted on a plate 53 supported by andbetween the end plates of the carriageframe; :The rear'paper guides may be secured-'in-any-position of lateral adjustment on the-plate-53 by means'of knurled nuts 54. The outer lateral edge of each rear paper guide 52 isturned upwardly and inwardly to provide a channel toreceive and guide the respective lateral'edge-of the front-fed paper, the lower and upperwalls of the channel being flared outwardly atthe front end of the paper guide to facilitate the entry of the edge of the front-fed form into theiguide channel. I

' Each "rear paper guide member 52 carries an adjustable stop device comprising a stop member GU'secured'to a tape Bl ofspring metal guided in channels formed in the opposite sides of a guide member secured to the respective one of the rear" paper guides 52. Therear portion of the tape perforations 4 tape (ii is received in a housing 63 containing a sprocket wheel 64 which is mounted on a shaft 65 for rotation with the latter. The tape 6| has perforations 66 spaced in conformity with the spacing of the teeth of the sprocket wheel 64, the rear portion of the housing 63 being of such configuration as to hold the tape 6! in contact with the sprocket wheel 64 on both sides of the 66 and sprocket teeth as the tape 6| makes nearly a half turn about the sprocket wheel 64. The housing is also slotted at 61 to accommodate the portions of the sprocket teeth passing through the perforations 86 in the tape. There is secured in the housing a member 68 having a semicylindrical wall 59 which, together with the semicylindrical front wall 10 of the housing 53, provides a space H' of circular cross section within which the end portion of the tape 6-l'is coiled after entering therein through a channel 12 formed between a lower flat portion 13 of the member 68 and the lower wall 14 of the housing 63. The tape 61 is of such length that, even with themaximum amount of tape withdrawn from the housing 63 to project the stops 60 to the forward limits of their adjustment, somewhat more than a complete turn or coil of the tape 6| will still remain in the storage space 'H so that, in retracting the stops 60 rearwardly from the front-feed throat, the tape 6| may be returned easily into the storage space ll without interference between the free end of the tape BI and any irregularities in the cylindrical inner wall of the storage space I I, such as that at the juncture of the upper wall of the housing 63 and the upper front portion of the member 68.

The shaft 65 upon which the sprocket wheels 64 of both adjustable stop devices are mounted carries a twirler 15 by which the shaft 65 may be rotated manually to adjust both stops 60 in unison.

The spring tape BI is of the kind having an arcuate transverse curvature which, as well known, causes it to endeavor to vuncoil and straighten out longitudinally. This uncoiling tendency of the tape 6|, while it does not hinder easy entry and withdrawal of the tape into and from the storage space II when the sprocket wheel 64 is rotated by means of the twirler 15, does, however, cause the tape 61 coiled in the space H to bear against the wall of the space H sufliciently to provide a'frictional clutching action adequate to hold the stops 60 in any desired positions of adjustment. The frictional clutching action of the coiled portion of the ta'petl' within the space H is aided in this respect by the frictional engagement of that portion of the tape BI passing around the sprocket 64 against the semicylindrical rear wall I6 of the housing 63.

The forward end of each stop is slit to provide three tongues or blades 11, each having a downwardly turned end 18 to provide a stop sur-' face for engagement by the rearward or bottom edge of the front-fed paper W. The center tongue or blade 11 is bent up only slightly, preferably near its forward end, and the two outer tongues or blades ll are bent further upwardly to an extent substantially equal to the length of the turned-down end portion 18 of each blade 11, wherebythe forward ends of the three blades 11 are given staggered positions, providing a greater total height of stop surface forengagement with the rear or bottom edge of the front-fed papenW thanwouldbe. ayailableif allot the Q guides 52 may be adjusted .,ther forward: into the throat between the plat-" on IS and the lower guide plateijs than would be possible if rigidstops"withfthesame height of end stop surface were employe'd,"the flexibility of the blades ll of the stops 60 being such as toupermit of some compression of the stops, 60 between the platen l6 and the plate The rear paper guides sp re provided with guide brackets 80 secured thereto and engaging around the under edge of a downwardly turned flange- Bl along the rear of the plate 53 whereby,

, after. loosening of the knurlednuts 5,4,,thepaper laterally to'suit work sheets Wof different widths. Thesproc-ket'wheels 64 also have collars 82into which are 'lthr'eaded set screws 83 which may be loosened to permit the adjustment of the'sprocket wheels 84 -along the shaft 65 the rear 'pap'er'guides 52 are adjusted laterally on the plate 53, after which the set screws 83 may again fbe tightened to secure thesprock'etwheelsiid t'o adjusted position on the shaft 65 for rotation therewith.

At the commencement of a series of postings the operator, after the platen l6 has been thrown back out of printing position and the front-feed throat opened, will insert the first work sheet or perhaps a trial sheet into the carriage over the front-fed chute 35, 36, and then manipulate the finger-piece 39 to move the line finder 43, 44 to its line finding position of Fig. 2. Then the operator will manipulate the twirler 75 to adjust the stops 60 until they stop the front-fed paper W in the correct position to receive the entry on the desired line thereon. At that time, as well understood, the entry printed on the line immediately above the line upon which the next entry is to be made will appear immediately above the edge of the line finder blade 44. Upon return of the platen to printing position, the front-feed paper chute 35, 36 and line finder 4'3, 44 are auto- .matically returned to their normal positions. After making the required entry or entries on each inserted form W, the operator needs only to insert the next form or work sheet W as far as permitted by the stops 60 which, by friction of the coiled portions of the tapes 6| in the housings G3, frictionally hold the stops in their adjusted positions until the adjustment is altered by the operator. Thus all of the entries for the particular run of work may be completed without readjustments of the stops except such as might sometimes be required because the initially made adjustment was not correct or because of some inaccuracy in the positions of the rulings on the forms. The stops 60, though adequately and securely held in any given position of adjustment, are yet instantly readily adjustable by mere rotation of the twirler 15. The paper stop means described and illustrated is of very simple and inexpensive yet durable construction and reliable in operation.

While the paper stop means of the present invention have been illustrated as applied to a particular type of paper carriage on a Burroughs "high keyboard machine, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the stop means of the present invention are readily applicable to a great variety of paper carriages on business machines of various kinds. It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that the construction of the paper stop means of the in- .M' vention may be modified in various ways within the'scdpe of the appended claims.

1. Adjustablest'op means comprising'a housing having wall portions defining a storage space of "generally circular cross section, asecond space within said housing, and a passage between said spaces in said housing, a "longitudinally'selfstraightening spring-tape having longitudinally spaced perforations and extending throughsaid passage and having'one end portion coiled within "said storage space by confinement by the wall thereof, a sprocket'wheel' in said second space within said housing and having teeth engaging in said perforationsin said tape, means exterior to said housing to rotate said sprocket wheel to move said tape into and out of said storage space through said passage, said housing having an opening through which said tape passes from said sprocket wheel, a stop on the exterior end of said tape, and guide means engaging the edges of said tape exteriorly of said housing 2. Adjustable stop means comprisinga housing having a substantially semicylindrical end wall and a substantially semicylindrical partition wall which, together with said end wall, defines a storage space of generally circular cross section with a passage opening substantially tangentially into said storage space, said housing also having a substantially semicylindrical opposite end wall, a shaft substantially concentric with said opposite end wall, a sprocket wheel on said shaft, said opposite end wall being slotted to accommodate said teeth and permit rotation of said sprocket wheel, a longitudinally self-straightening spring tape extending through said passage and having one end portion coiled within said storage space and frictionally bearing on said semicylindrical walls, said tape passing between the body of said sprocket wheel and said opposite end wall and having longitudinally spaced perforations to receive said sprocket teeth and said housing having an opening for passage of the opposite end portion ofv said tape therefrom, and means to rotate said shaft and sprocket wheel to move said tape against the resistance of said frictional bearing into and out of said storage space through said passage, and a stop means connected with said opposite end portion of said tape for adjustment of said stop by rotation of said shaft.

3. In a paper equipment for business machines, having parts relatively movable to open and close a front feed paper throat between them, and a pair of laterally adjustable paper guide members extending rearwardly from said throat, the combmation of a housing rearwardly of each of said paper guide means, each housing having wall portions defining a storage space of generally circular cross section and a second space, a passage extending between said spaces, a spring tape for each housing extending through said passage and having one end portion coiled within said storage space by confinement by the wall thereof, rotatable means in said second space to move said tape lengthwise through said passage and into and out of said storage space, a stop means carried by the other end portion of each tape, guide means carried on each of said paper guide means, extending toward said throat and engaging the edges of said tape between said tape-moving means and said stop means, and a common shaft for rotating both of said rotatable means and adjustably connected with both of said rotatable tape-moving means to permit adjustment of said stop means, housings and paper paper portions defining a storage space of generally cirguide means laterally toward and from other.

4. In a paper equipment for business machines, having parts relatively movable to open'and close a front-feed paper throat between them, and a pair of laterally adjustable paper guide members extending reawardly from said throat, the combination of a housing rearwardly of each of said guide means, each housing having wall cular cross section and a second space, a passage extending between said spaces, a longitudinally self-straightening spring tape for each housing extending through said passage and having one end portion coiled within said storage space by confinement by the wall thereof, said tape having longitudinally spaced perforations, a sprocket wheel in said second space in each housing having teeth engaging in perforations in said tape to move the latter lengthwise through said passage and into and out of said storage space and housing, a stop means carried by the other end portion of each tape, guide means carried on each of said paper guide means, extending toward said throat and engaging the edges of said tape each between said tape-moving means and said stop means, and a common shaft passing through said second spaces of both housings and having both sprocket wheels secured thereon, at least one of to permit adjustment of both 

